Device for filing away printed clippings



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. W. TAYLOR. DEVIGE FOR FILING AWAY PRINTED GLIPPINGS, 8w.

No. 393.455. Patented Nov. 27, 1888..

(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O.'W. TAYLOR.

DEVIOE FOR FILING AWAY PRINTED OLIPPINGS, 650.

No. 393,455. Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE WALLACE TAYLOR, OF JANESVILLE, \VISCONSIN.

DEVICE FOR FILING AWAY PRINTED CLIPPINGS, 84.6.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,455, dated November 27, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE WALLACE TAYLOR, of Janesville, in the county of Rock and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Filing Away Printed Clippings, 850.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled'in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved device for filing away printed clippings or items and other matter, written or printed, that it is de sirable to retain convenient for ready reference. Idesignate myimprovement asa topical scrap indexfile.

Heret ofore it has been usual to paste in a book scrap-literature, clippings from news papers or magazines, and other literary articles that a collector wishes to preserve for future use. This method is defective, from the fact that no means for convenient and quick reference to any particular article on a particular subject can be provided; and as it is frequently a matter ofimportance to be able to sive system and appliances for the classification, filing, and indexing for ready finding of newspaper or other clippings that may embrace a wide range of subjects; also, briefs, memoranda, written opinions, citations, and, in fact, valuable Written or printed matter that is in loose form, or separated articles which are to be retained for a reperusal or reference, the methods of construction and arrangement of the file permitting the instant location of any special item or written article, ifthe subject is remembered and is comprehended in the selections preserved; oraseries of articles on any subject may also be found without difficulty, whether the filing of these items of Written or printed matter has been of a recent date or at a more remote period of time.

A further object is to provide a duplicate set of index-files that will afi'ord a means of classified preservation of the contents of a filled file, so that the scraps or other filed matter in written or printed form may be transferred and preserved in the same style of file, and thus afford a means for assured easy ref erence thereto at any subsequent time. The files for a currentyear or other period may be arranged in series, as may also the duplicate set or sets of files of previous years, in a manner to facilitate access thereto when desired,

With the objects in view as above stated my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred form of the file opened to show its interior. Fig. 2 is a View of the file-case closed, which is in book form to render it convenient to place on a shelf or other accessible place. Fig. 3 represents a filing-register, in which the several written articles or printed clippings may be entered in regular order. Fig. 4 shows the back of the file-case or surface that would be exposed when the cases are located in series on a shelf or in a cabinet of shelves.

The filing -case A is preferably made as shown, or in the form of a book, the one side,

A, being hinged to allow it to be opened, as 8 shown. The forward portion, B, is hinged at a to permitit to be dropped and lie in the same plane as the fixed side 0 of the file-case.

The hinged piece B is provided with a catch, b, that latches into a spring-loop, b, the two pieces b b together forming a secure springcatch to hold the two hinged parts A B together. The latch just mentioned is a common device, and no special claim is made for its construction or application.

There are several indexed filing-divisions, 0, made in the interior of the case A. These may be in the form of separate leaves that are hinged at one edge, so as to be lifted to afford access to any particular divisional compartment or space between the leaves; or these separating-leaves may be simply placed in ICO position in regular alphabetical order, as indicated by the succession of letters affixed to projecting tabs on their free edges, without hinged or other secured attachment. It should be understood that in any event the dividingpartitions C are to be alphabetically indexed, the spares between the divisions affording space for the deposit therein of printed outtings, written articles, or any choice concise items that the collector may wish to preserve, and in filing these articles away the first letter in the title of the same will indicate the position of the article in the file.

. If preferred, as affording a more specific indicator of the contents of the divisions of the file, the first three letters of the titles of classified subjects may be affixed to the margins of the leaves. In the latter; method of index ing the divisions of the tile-ease the designating-abbreviations that are secured to the margins of the partitions or separating leaves should correspond with the first three letters of each separate subject that is entered in regular order in afilingregister, D,which is provided to accompany the file-ease A.

The register D is preferably in folio form, and is made with a sufficient number of leaves to receive under proper headings the abbre viated or full titles of written or printed articles, scraps, clippings, or any desired literary production that is not of a bulky nature,which is to be preserved in its proper division of the file-case. If the single leading letter of the alphabet is used as a file-indicator for each division of the file case, this letter should indicate the first letter of the title of an article deposited in the division it represents in the file case.

The register D may be ruled in lines horizontally, and each page may be divided vertically into two or more spaced divisions to receive the titles of the articles inclosed in the divisions of the file-ease A, or each sheet may be used without any division vertically. A person owning one of these topical scrap index-files may arrange the subjects on the register at will; but it is best, for a convenient reference, to have each subject follow in alphabetical order. Each subject should be written or printed as a head-line at the top of each page of the register.

It is intended to have one file case or a series of the same to suit the wants of the user, and when a number of the filecases are to be employed they are lettered from A to Z, as a series. If these are to be increased, then each letter may designate a seriesas,for instance, the set of files used in one year. Then each separate file case, may be numbered from one upward.

Upon the outside of the file-case, prefera ings of file-contents may be left blank, to be written in pencil, and thus permit a change to be made at any time.

It is evident, if any heading in the register or any filed article in the filingcase is tobe removed if the entries under the appropriate headings have been made in lead-pencil, that a simple erasure of the title from its place in a column of the file indicator will be all that is necessary to expunge the record, and the clipping or other article, whether written or printed, may be removed at any time without falsification of the record in the register.

From the foregoing it will be evident that this method of filing detached clippings or other matter of printed or written form that is loose may be extended at will, as the accumulation of each year or other period of time that may fill a filecase may he transferred to a duplicate case that may be conveniently stored in a shelved cabinet or in any other preferred manner to allow access to same, if it is desired. In use it is simply necessary to look at the table of registered contents that is affixed to the exposed back of a file-case to secure the proper case, then mark the name of the title of the scrap on the proper page of the register under its appropriate heading, after which the serapclipping is placed in its proper division of the file-case, when the operation is complete. In referring to an article the same process is applicable to find it as used to file it, and any article properly registered may at once he found, and the register will show without search if it is in the fileease.

I am aware that there is in use a file-case used for a different purpose-that is, in a book form, and has an indexed series of dividing-leavesin it. My invention does not consist in such a device alone, as I have indicated in the proceeding description and illustrations of the same, and I do not make claim so such a device,separately considered.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device for filing away printed clippings, consisting of a case, an inclosed register, a series of alphabetically-indexed dividingpartitions arranged in the case, and a table of contents attached to an exposed surface of the case, substantially as set forth.

2. A file-case possessing the following in strumentalities, viz: a case, a lid to the case, a series of dividing-partitions alphabetically or otherwise indexed, a filing-register, a designating letter or numeral on its back, and a table of contents also affixed to its back or side, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLARENCE WALLACE TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. WIIITEHEAD, JOHN MENzIEs. 

